Grain-door for cars.



, PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904. W. H. MAUPPIN n H. G. KELLER. GRAIN DOOR FOR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEBA, 1904.

NO MODEL.

(ff/JWM UNITED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

VPATENT OFFICE..

IVILLIAM H. MAUPPIN AND HENRY C. KELLER, OF BONDVILLE, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-Doon Fon CARS'.

SPECIFICATION forming 'part of Letters Patent No. 774,526, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed February 4, 1904. Serial No. 192,037. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern: v

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. MAUPPIN and HENRY C. KELLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Bondville, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Doors for Cars; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention refers to an improvement in grain-doors for cars, the principal object being to provide a door for this purpose which when in use can be securely bolted in position and when out of use can be hung to the ceiling of the car, thus occupying` but a comparatively small space, and which consists in-the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention, Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of a car, showing agrain-door in position, made in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the door onthe line 4 4 of Fig. 1, illustrating the hinge which unites the two portions of the door. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1,' showing the cranked locking shaft and links. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, taken through one of the pins O.

In said drawings, A represents a grain-car having a door-opening B, whose lower portion is adapted to be closed by means of the graindoor C. Said door C is divided vertically into two portions D and E, the upper member D being somewhat narrower than the member E and the two being pivotally united by means of the hinges F.

Vertical guide-rods Gr are mounted atl each side of said openingB on the inner face of the wall of the car and extend from near the4 top of same to a point below the upper edge of the member E. Said guide-rods are engaged by means of rings H, which are formed on the outerv ends of bars I, securely bolted to said member E adjacent its upper edge and projecting horizontally therefrom, thus adapting said door to be moved vertically from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the upper member D having been first turned to the relative position shown in dotted lines on the hinges F. Said guide-rods are bent to form U-shaped depressions J at their upper ends in the horizontal portion of said rods G, which extends from the upper end of the vertical portion to the wall of the car, adapted to receive and hold said rings H when moved to the dotted position shown in Fig. 2. To retainsaid door in its said upper position, a bar K is secured to the rear face of said member E adjacent its lower edge, which is adapted to engage with a hook L, which is secured to the roof of the car.

The main bodies of said members D and E are shorter than the width of said opening B and are each provided at their ends with T- shaped members M, having their Hang-es in contact with the outer'faces of said door members and their webs projecting therefrom and parallel with the ends of same. The outer iianges N of said members M are adapted when said members are moved.. outwardly to the position indicated in the drawings to project back` of the rear face of the wall of the car, the webs of said members coming in contact with the side walls of said opening B, thusleifectually closing the said opening. To further lock said members in place, pins O are provided projecting horizontally from the websof same and which are adapted to enter corresponding holes in the side walls of said doorway BL To move said members M back and forth to lock and unlock said members D and E in their lower position, vertical crank-shafts P are mounted in bearings Q on the outer face of said members D and E about midway between their ends, each shaft having two pairs of crank-pins set at one hundred and eighty degrees to each other, the crank-pin on each side being connected, by means of links R, to the inner ends of horizontally-movable bars S, the outer ends of which are rigidly connected with said members M.- Said bars S IOO are mounted in brackets or bearings T in said members D and E. Said shafts I) are each provided with a rigid lever U, extending parallel with said cranks and by which said shafts may be turned through approximately one hundred and eighty degrees to move said members M from their outer to their inner positions. IVhen said levers U are moved to force said members M to their outer posi tions, as illustrated in the figures, they are adapted to enter between brackets V, secured.

to said members D and E and which are provided with openings adapted to receive pins W to lock said levers in said positions. Brackets V', similar to the brackets V, are mounted on said member E and are adapted to receive said lever U between same at the other limit of its movement and in conjunction with a locking-pin to lock said lever in said position. As illustrated in Figs. 8 and 5, said links R extend rearwardly from said crank-pins at a slight angle, and thus tend to prevent said shafts from rotating'.

In Fig. 4 the hinges F are clearly illustrated. A pivot-plate X is secured to the rear face of said member E, whose eye is on a line with the top edge of said member. A similar pivot plate X is secured to the outer face of said member D, having its eye raised above the lower edge of said member. Said plates are connected by means of an L-shaped link Y, which extends between said members D and E when in the position illustrated and which will permit said member D to be moved to the relative position shown in dotted line-s in Fig. 2, where it lies on the back of said member E, or to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, where it lies to the front of said member E. rIhe latter position is convenient when loading or unloading the grain from the car, while the former is convenient when it is de sired to hang the door up out of the way.

We claim as our inventionl. In a grain-car the combination with the door-frame and guides thereon, of a graindoor comprising a member adapted to close the lower portion of the door-opening, connection between said member and said guides adapted to permit said member to be raised vertically, T-shaped plates movable horizontally on the outer ends of said member, one fiange of said T-plates being adapted to be projected beyond the outer end of said member and behind said door-frame, the other flange of said T-plate being adapted to rest in contact with the outer face of said member` the web of same being' adapted to be forced into contact with the inner wall of said door-frame, horizontal pins on said web portion adapted to enter openings in said frame to prevent said member from being raised or swung, and meansfor moving said T-shaped plates from and toward each other to lock and unlock said member in its closed position, comprising a vertical cranked shaft mounted in bearings adjacent the middle of said member, links connecting said cranks with said '1V-shaped members, means for rotating said shaft through an arc of about one hundred and eighty degrees, and means for locking same at one limit of its movement.

2. In a grain-car, the combination with the door-frame and guides thereon, of a graindoor comprising two members adapted to close the lower portion of the door-opening, one of said members being narrower than the other and situated above the other, T-shaped plates movable horizontally on the outer ends of said members, one flange of said T-plates being adapted to be projected beyond the outer ends of said members and behind said door-frame, the other iange of said T-plate being adapted to rest in contact with the outer face of said members, the web portion of same being adapted to be forced into oontact with the inner wall of said door-frame, horizontal pins on said web portion adapted to enter openings in said frame to prevent said members from being raised or swung, and means for moving said T-plates to and from said frame to lock and unlock said members in their closed positions, comprising vertical cranked shafts mounted in bearings adjacent the middle of said members, links connecting said cranks with said T-plates, means for rotating said shafts through an arc of about one hundred and eighty degrees and means for locking same at one limit of their movement, pivoted connection between said members comprising openings interposed in their meeting edges, hinge-plates secured to the rear face of one of said members adjacent said openings and similar plates secured to the front face of said other members adjacent said openings and having their pivot-point removed vertically from the edge thereof, L-shaped links extending through said openings and connecting said hinge-plates, Whereby said upper member may be swung to lie in contact with either face of said lower member, loops on said lower member adapted to engage said guide-rods, said guide-rods being formed with depressions in their upper ends adapted to receive said loops when said door is raised to the upper limit of its movement and permit same to be swung inwardly adjacent the ceiling of said car, a hook pivotally secured to the ceiling' of said car adapted to engage the lower edge of said lower member when the same is swung on said loops.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MAUPPIN. HENRY c. KELLER.

Witnesses:

J. H. KEsLEP., C. E. YOUNG.

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